Warming the Heart
by Emerald1
Summary: They always said that they had each other's back, but it really went much deeper than that. Tony-Tim brothers, PapaGibbs. Four chapters, complete. Chapter a day.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n - No, I haven't fallen off the end of the world. I have, however, been packing up and moving, a process that is nowhere near complete. I also had end of the year challenges to get finished, which I managed to get all done, so I have several stories to post to keep you going until I get enough unpacked to start working on _Aftermath_ again. This was my SeSa for Fingersnaps. She gave me some quote to use as a starting point and wanted Tim and Tony (and the entire team) friendship. This is what I came up with. Four chapters total, complete so I'll post a chapter a day.**

Warming the Heart

"Is this really necessary, Tony?"

"We're early enough that we won't miss our reservation, I promise." Tony smiled at Angela as they pulled into the bar's parking lot. "They're my friends, okay?"

"Yes, but I like having you all to myself." As he shut off the engine, she scooted closer and ran her hand up his thigh. "Just think of what else we could do with this extra twenty minutes."

Intriguing as he found the proposition, Tony was determined to get this done. Somewhere along the way, after the Amanda debacle and the catastrophe known as CIRay, the younger members of the team had made a pact to introduce any possible significant other to the rest of the group as soon as the relationship developed past the casual hook-up stage.

They'd met various boyfriends of Abby, all assorted shades of punk and goth with tattoos and strange names. Ziva had surprised them with a mild mannered accountant that hadn't lasted long after an evening surrounded by guns. Three weeks ago it had been McGee's turn with a pretty little geekette named Melissa that hung on his every word, but knew more about movies than even Tony.

Now it was Tony's night. He'd actually met Angela the night McGee had introduced Melissa, literally bumping into her while buying shampoo at the all-night market. By the time they'd gotten their baskets sorted out, he'd had her number and despite the heavy case load, they'd managed four dates. The unwritten rule among his friends stated that was the cutoff between a fling and dating, so he was determined to do this.

Tony shook his head as he killed the engine. "Nope. We'll have a drink, you can meet my friends and then we'll get our dinner. Besides," he leaned closer. "I want to show you off."

Angela ducked her head with a smile. "I guess I can't argue with that. So, who are we meeting?"

"I think the lovely Breena has a honey-do list that will keep Jimmy home, but you'll be meeting Abby, Ziva and Tim."

"And their dates?"

"Maybe." Tony's brow creased as he thought about it. "Ziva's between boyfriends at the moment and I think Abby has a bowling game later tonight with the nuns, so she'll probably be flying solo tonight, too."

"What about the last one? Tim, wasn't it?"

"Melissa might be with him, or she might be meeting him later. Like I said, none of us will be here very long. We just try to connect outside of work whenever we can." They were out of the car and walking across the parking lot as he explained. Angela held back just enough to allow Tony to open the door for her. As he did, she looked back into the shadows, giving a subtle shake of her head, before allowing him to escort her inside.

"Tony!" Abby squealed and rushed up to give him a bone crushing hug.

"Hey, Abs, need to breathe here."

"Sorry." But her smile was unrepentant as she pulled away enough to look him in the eye. "You made it; I wasn't sure if you would."

"Afraid I was going to chicken out?" If the truth were told, he'd considered it, but knew how seriously his partner took the promise they'd made each other. "Nah, McGee would never let me live it down. Where is he, by the way?"

Abby pointed over her shoulder to where McGee and Ziva were quietly talking, heads close together, as she rubbed his shoulder.

"He okay?"

"Yeah, but Melissa's dad had a stroke this afternoon. McGee just put her on a flight back to Seattle."

Tony had liked the young web designer and hoped she and Angela would hit it off. "Ouch, okay, thanks for the heads up. Come on, let me officially introduce Angela to everybody."

Grasping Abby and Angela by the wrists, he led them over to the table. "All right, I guess this is everyone for tonight, Angie. I'd like you to meet Ziva David, Timothy McGee and of course, Abby Sciuto. Everyone, this is Angela Shaw."

"Hello."

"Hi."

"We're so glad to finally meet you."

Angela smiled and gave a slight nod before distracting Abby with a question about her jewelry. That gave the three women a starting point in their conversation and Tony slid into the chair next to McGee. "Hey, man, I'm sorry to hear about Melissa's dad. How long will she be gone?"

Tim shrugged as he swirled his wine glass. "She's taking over the family business, so – forever?"

"Damn, Probie, I know you really liked her." Tony laid his hand on Tim's shoulder and left it there as the discussion bounced around the table, not offended at all when his friend didn't join in much. It was just a little under a month until Christmas, and he knew how much McGee had been looking forward to spending the holidays with her.

After a few minutes Tony left to get the next round of drinks. The conversation slowed slightly, and Angela glanced over at a back corner of the bar several times before Tony returned with a round of non-alcoholic beers for the team and a gimlet for Angela.

Tony was just about to make their apologies to the group so he and Angela could leave for their dinner reservations when his phone rang. One look at the screen and he was pretty sure he and the rest of the team would be eating pizza in the bullpen. He held his hand up to stop the conversations as he answered the call. "Hey, Boss. Yeah, no... they're all with me. Okay, we'll meet you there."

Not knowing how much Tony had told his girlfriend about their work, Tim kept his question vague. "We've been called back to work?"

"Yep, Boss is going to meet us at the scene." He turned to Angela. "I'm sorry, babe, but I'm going to need a rain check on dinner."

"But we have reservations at Palena's. I've been looking forward to that for ages."

When he told her about the reservations three days ago, he'd warned her that his team was on call that weekend. Tony was surprised at how vehemently she reacted, so he reached for his wallet. "Next weekend we're not on call, so we'll do something special to make it up to you. For tonight, Abby doesn't have to be at work for a couple of hours, so why don't the two of you use the reservations?"

Abby perked up at the offer. She'd been hinting to be taken to Palena for ages, but that was the disadvantage of dating men with a rough edge – they tended not to spend that kind of money on a date.

Unfortunately, Angela was shaking her head. "Nothing personal to your friend, if we can't go together, I'd rather just go home."

They were all on their feet and moving towards the door. Tony slipped some cash into Angela's hand. "Okay, if you're sure. I'll have the bartender call a cab for you."

She seemed offended by the offer. "I'm a big girl, Tony. I can get my own cab. Now, go on – go to work, I'll be fine. Call me tomorrow when you get done."

sesasesasesa

Tim had been unsure about meeting the team that night, but the reassuring warmth of Tony's hand on his back told him it had been the right decision. It wasn't until Tony left to pick up the next round of drinks that Tim started noticing Angela's actions. She was acutely aware of everything around her, repeatedly looking over at the darkest corners of the bar.

When the call came in, ending their weekend, he expected Angela to accept the offer of dinner with Abby or at least the cab. As she kissed Tony goodbye, she seemed to look at a distant corner of the parking lot. Tim glanced over at Ziva, who was also watching Angela's silent communion with the dark alley. He felt better knowing he wasn't alone in noticing the subtle actions.

The next twenty-four hours were a blur of crime scene photos and leads to follow, but Tim couldn't get the worry out of his head. When both Gibbs and Tony went to the lab to see what Abby had uncovered, he moved to Ziva's desk. "At the bar, you saw it, too?"

Ziva didn't pretend to not understand. "She was very aware of her surroundings, as if she were afraid of something."

"Or someone." Now that he had confirmation, McGee opened a new window and started a background search. Ziva chewed on her lip as she watched.

"Perhaps this is not a good idea."

McGee just shook his head. "If she's in some sort of danger, then so is Tony. How can we watch his back if we don't know what the danger is?"

Eventually Ziva nodded and picked up several of the files on McGee's desk. "I'll background both victims so you can focus on the search."

"Thanks, Ziva."

"I hope we are wrong about this, McGee."

"Me too."

sesasesasesa

Gibbs gave them both a suspicious look when he and Tony returned from the lab, but the case broke soon after, keeping the four of them busy chasing down the suspects. While Tony and Ziva helped Gibbs in interrogation, Tim continued his search, not liking at all what he found.

Confessions achieved, the rest of the team returned to the bullpen to find McGee still hard at work. Tony grinned at his work-obsessed friend. "Ease up, Probie. The Boss got them to confess to even more than we knew about."

Gibbs hid a grin at the backhanded compliment as he looked at the time. They'd been at it for more than two days straight and the normal work week started in less than ten hours. Decision made, he shut off the light over his desk. "Paperwork can wait until morning, people."

"All right." Tony was the first one on his feet. He'd barely had time to send Angela a text all weekend, but if he hurried, they'd have time for a late supper and possible some quality time together.

Knowing what his friend was thinking, McGee was the next on his feet. "Tony, wait." He crossed the bullpen to stand in front of Tony's desk, clutching a thick file folder. "We need to talk – about Angela."

Tony eyed the file and shook his head. "You investigated my girlfriend, McGee, really?"

Tim spoke slowly, knowing how easily his actions could be misinterpreted. "She was nervous whenever you were out of her sight, Tony. If she was in some sort of trouble, well, we couldn't watch your six if we didn't know what was going on."

At the word 'we', Tony turned to Ziva. "So you were in on this, too?"

Tim started to say something, to take the full blame, but Ziva held her hand up to stop him. "I, too, noticed how Angela was distracted, looking off into the shadows whenever you looked away. I, too, was worried."

"Just read through what I found, Tony. If you want me to back off, I will, but I think you need to read this." Tim held out the folder and Tony stared at it for a long time before taking it. He read the first page, his eyes widening at what McGee had discovered.

"Her last boyfriend was hospitalized after being beaten by her brother?" Seeing the potential danger in black and white defused any hurt he may have felt at the intrusion into his personal life. "That's why she was scared, she was afraid he'd go after me next?"

The first hour of his search, that had been McGee's thoughts, then he'd found the rest. "Keep reading."

Tony was silent as he read, but his team could read his body language as he became more shocked and upset. Gibbs finally had had enough. "McGee, what did you find?"

Not looking away from DiNozzo, Tim gave his report. "It wasn't just her last boyfriend that was beaten, it was her last five."

"The brother?"

"Yeah." Tim glanced back over at Tony, hating the look on his face.

"How on earth..." Gibbs had seen enough of the seedy side of life to know the answer before he fully asked the question, as much as he hated it. "She's in on it?"

"Looks that way. He's been committed to mental hospitals a few times and she always gets him out."

Tony spoke up, shaking his head. "Every time, the brother conveniently finds them having a romantic glass of wine in some deserted park. Angela wanted me to take her stargazing at Rock Creek Park after dinner the other night."

Nobody had to tell Tony how close he'd come to becoming the sixth victim, but Gibbs had another question. "How have they gotten away with this for so long?"

Now that it was out, McGee sent the graphic he'd assembled to the plasma so they could all see it. "Each attack has happened in a different jurisdiction and she manages to con their mark into not filing charges. Personally has her brother committed so it looks like he's getting help."

"Then when the heat's off, she signs him out and they leave town." Tony closed the file and dropped his head. "Damn it, I should have known she was too good to be true."

"She's good, Tony, real good." Tim hated to hurt his friend. "I'm sorry, man."

"No." As much as it hurt, Tony knew it could have been a whole lot worse. In fact, it nearly was. "This is why we started doing this, right?"

Gibbs was proud of how his "kids" watched out for each other on and off the job, but his focus was on the crimes obviously committed by the siblings. "Were any of their victims military?"

Tim changed the image on the plasma. "No, but they did cross state lines."

Crossing state lines put the case firmly in the hands of the FBI, but Gibbs was willing to fight it if Tony wanted, so he turned to the younger man. "It's your call, DiNozzo."

Tony flashed him a grateful look, but they all knew that a sharp defense attorney could muddy the waters if a potential victim became one of the investigators. "Give it to Fornell, Boss. We can't let them walk on a technicality."

Gibbs gave a slow nod and picked up his phone as he watched his team. By the time Fornell had all the information, Abby had arrived in the bullpen and a slumber party was planned for Gibbs' house. Gibbs rolled his eyes, secretly pleased with the invasion. "DiNozzo, you and McGee get the pizzas, and make sure they're good ones, not that cardboard crap we got stuck with last week."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Behind Tony, McGee nodded, understanding the unspoken part of the request. 'Don't let Tony out of your sight until Angela Shaw and her brother are both in custody.' He was planning on having his partner's back a lot longer than that.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been three weeks since Angela and Peter Shaw had been taken into custody at her apartment, the various weapons found with them was a stark reminder of what could have happened to their friend and partner. His history of mental illness had gotten Peter Shaw committed to yet another mental hospital, but this time his sister couldn't sign him out. It had taken every dime their parents had left them for Angela to make her own bail.

When Angela first made bail Tony came back from lunch to find paperwork on his desk, awaiting his signature. Even after he'd filed and received the restraining order his friends had insisted upon, Tony rarely found himself alone. Two weeks after the arrests he'd tried, refusing to go with Gibbs or to allow either Tim or Ziva to go home with him. Guilt over the fact that McGee was sitting in his car outside Tony's apartment at 0300 drove him to call the other man inside.

After that, Tony didn't argue with the schedule Abby had set up and willingly rotated between his watchers. He almost admitted how much it meant to him, but he suspected they already knew.

Now at the three week mark, solving cases was the most normal part of their lives. Even a call-out at the end of their shift was a moment of normality. After a tense drive through a heavy downpour, Gibbs pulled the truck up next to the the police car and started barking orders. "This rain is going to wash away all of our evidence. Leave the body to Ducky and Palmer. Get everything else photographed, bagged and tagged as fast as you can – and stay away from the ditches. That water's rising fast."

While the team scrambled, Gibbs jogged over to the local LEO's holding a tarp over the body stretched out next to the road. "Thanks, guys, appreciate it. What can you tell us?"

"Not much, sir. Anonymous call, body was like this when we got here, so we called you guys." The uniformed officer pointed to the open jacket that revealed the Naval Dress Blues. "It's almost like somebody wanted us to know this guy was Navy."

Gibbs frowned as he agreed, but the ringing of his phone distracted him. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"It's Fornell, we've got a problem. Peter Shaw hung himself earlier today."

"Not sure I'd consider that a problem."

"Well, you'd better because his sister went nuts, according to the staff. She was screaming about making someone pay."

Suddenly, their odd crime scene had a whole new perspective. Gibbs slammed his phone shut and looked around for Tony as he realized how exposed they were. Running, he caught up with DiNozzo and hustled him back to the truck.

"Boss, what..."

"Peter Shaw offed himself and your ex-girlfriend went off her rocker."

"But what does that have to do with..." Tony looked around and realized what Gibbs had already determined. "You think this is a set up?"

"Somebody worked hard to get us out here."

A flash of lightning lit up the night sky. Behind a clump of trees, Tony thought he saw a car. "Boss, was that..."

The next burst of lightning and the area behind the trees was empty. Gibbs squinted as he looked around, finally spotting it as it approached the road, picking up speed, the headlights still off. "Stay here, DiNozzo." Gibbs took off running, pulling his weapon as he yelled at McGee. The younger man was taking pictures of some debris on the edge of the road, unaware of what was coming up behind him. A clap of thunder drowned out his shout and Gibbs yelled again. McGee looked up, turning at the same time, but there was no place for him to go.

The car clipped Tim, sending him tumbling down the embankment before aiming at its next target. Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Ziva reacting to the attack and he changed his focus to the falling man. Ziva had the time to react and opened fire on the car. Her third shot blew out the tire and the car lost control, rolling twice before coming to a stop. Gibbs was already on the move, scrambling to find a way to reach McGee.

sesasesasesa

Tim McGee was freezing cold from the heavy rain as he quickly snapped photographs of what looked to be a woman's scarf tangled up with a broken branch. A flash of lightning illuminated what appeared to be tire tracks in the mud, slowly being washed away. He immediately started taking pictures, one after the other, hoping that enough detail would be caught for Abby to identify the car that made the tracks. It wasn't much, but as heavy as the rain was coming down, the car had to have driven down this road recently, possibly near the time the murder occurred.

A loud boom of thunder had him ducking instinctively, but only seconds later he heard Gibbs yelling for him. Tim looked up, squinting as the water hit his face. Gibbs was running towards him, pulling his weapon at the same time. Instinct took over and Tim let go of the camera as he spun around. A fast moving sedan was bearing down on him. Recognizing the danger, he reached for his own weapon. Just as his fingers touched the grip, the bumper grazed his leg and he was airborne.

He hit the muddy slope with enough force to knock the wind out of him and helplessly tumbled the rest of the way down to land in the icy water of the ditch. The shock of the freezing cold water further paralyzing his diaphragm. Knowing that he was in trouble, Tim grasped at the few large rocks along the water's edge. It stopped his momentum for a second, but he could feel his fingers slipping. A broken branch traveling under the water caught the camera strap, pulling him from his precarious perch.

Still struggling to take a breath, McGee was tossed around in the rapidly rising water as he was pulled further away from the crime scene. One last lightning bolt lit the sky enough to outline Gibbs as he ran along the roadway, trying to find a way to reach McGee.

"McGee, grab hold."

Tim barely heard the words over the rushing water, but he looked around frantically, grabbing the edge of the culvert as he was sucked in. His momentum slowed for a brief second, but his rapidly numbing fingers couldn't hold on. One last flash of lightning illuminated Gibbs' alarmed face before McGee was swept into the underground waterway.

sesasesasesa

Despite Gibbs' order to stay in the truck, Tony rushed out the second he saw McGee get hit. It was too dark to see the driver, but he recognized the shape of Angela's black Honda. He was aware of Ziva opening fire on the vehicle as it veered towards her, but his attention was on what was happening further up the road. When Gibbs started running, he knew McGee was in the water. The sound of the Honda crashing distracted him for a moment, then Tony returned to the truck, slinging mud and water everywhere as he made a tight turn to catch up with Gibbs. In the rear view mirror, he could see the local LEO's rushing to assist Ziva and turned his full attention to McGee's rescue.

Gibbs didn't waste any time as he jumped in the truck. "He got swept into the culvert, go." As Tony pushed the truck to its limits on the steep, winding road, Gibbs was already on the phone to Abby, quickly telling her where they were and to find the next access point to the underground pipe. Tony could hear her panicked voice over Gibbs' phone, but he could also hear her frantically searching for what they needed. The minutes ticked by as they rushed down the curvy road, hoping to get ahead of their friend, neither of them willing to acknowledge McGee's dwindling chances with every second he was underground. They were almost on top of the access when Abby found it and Tony barely kept the truck on the road when he slammed on the brakes.

Gibbs was out of the truck before it rolled to a full stop, with Tony just seconds behind him. They looked around, afraid that Abby's research might have been wrong, but then Gibbs spotted a metal grate almost completely covered by brush. "McGee, hang on, we're coming." Refusing to believe they'd missed him, neither man took a deep breath until they reached the opening and found McGee clinging to the metal bars.

"Probie, thank God." Tony waded into the water, Gibbs right behind him, and wrapped his fingers around Tim's icy ones, helping him hold on. While Tony helped Tim cling to the cold bars, Gibbs assessed the situation. A wider, shallower ditch meant the water was only half way up their thighs as it rushed into the lower storm drain. The access was small, and the metal bars were thick. The hinges were hidden, the latch closed with a padlock. Luckily, the angle of the access door combined with the difference of elevation between the deep culvert and the shallower overflow ditch gave McGee a small space of air. Even with that small mercy, McGee was definitely struggling as the fast moving water threatened to pull him under and the slightest movement of DiNozzo or Gibbs would send a wave of water over his face.

Gibbs lifted the lock to take a better look, pulling a small maglight out of his pocket. Long term exposure to the elements had corroded the lock, making it almost impossible to pick. If they were out in the open, he wouldn't have hesitated to shoot the lock, but the crowded space, rocks and cement almost certainly guaranteed a ricochet.

Tony saw the problem and pressed his body against the bars, shielding McGee. "Shoot it, we don't have any choice."

Instead of pulling his SIG, Gibbs grabbed a large rock from the edge of the ditch. "Not sacrificing one of you boys for the other." Targeting the weakest side of the latch, Gibbs lifted the rock over his head and slammed it down. The impact jarred all the way up to his shoulders, but Gibbs didn't hesitate before repeating the process. Again and again, the rough edges of the rock tearing at his hands, Gibbs beat the rock against the bending metal. At his shoulder, Tony continued to cling to McGee's hands, yelling as the trapped man's eyes started to close.

"Damn it, McGee, stay with me. We're going to get you out of there." He felt the fingers under his go limp. "Tim? Tim?"

Realizing that they were out of time, Gibbs let out a yell as he slammed the rock down hard one last time. The latch snapped free and Gibbs dropped the rock to start tugging on the grate. Still holding onto one of McGee's hands, Tony added his effort as both men steadily pulled while they kicked the debris away that blocked the bottom.

With a screech, the metal swung out and they grabbed at McGee, tugging his now unresponsive form out of the small hole. Flashing red and blue lights reflected off the water and they were quickly joined by Palmer and one of the officers that had been at the original crime scene. They handed McGee off to Palmer and the officer, who laid him up on solid ground where Ducky immediately started assessing his condition. Palmer scrambled up to help Ducky, while the officer gave the two cold and soaked agents a hand up out of the water. Approaching sirens told that plenty of help was on the way and as soon as McGee started coughing up water, Tony and Gibbs both sunk to the ground in exhaustion.


	3. Chapter 3

The waiting room at the hospital was strangely quiet in comparison to the storm raging outside. Abby had arrived about an hour earlier, obviously terrified, but determined to stay in control of her fears. She'd brought warm sweats for them and had conned one of the nurses to look the other way as Gibbs and Tony took advantage of the showers in the staff locker room. Now she was tucked against Gibbs on one of the couches, waiting for word, as she stared at the stark white bandages around several of Gibbs' fingers.

Ziva arrived shortly after Abby, having had to wait with the crime scene until another team arrived. Quietly, she gave her report to Gibbs. The attacker, officially identified as Angela Shaw, was killed instantly when her car rolled. A broken neck appeared to be the cause, but final determination would have to wait for Ducky, who was in the ER with McGee. Night vision binoculars and photographs of her and McGee suggested that she blamed the entire team for her brother's death, not just Tony. Report complete, she tentatively sat next to Tony.

"I am sorry for Angela's death, I had hoped to stop the car and arrest her."

The circumstances were eerily similar to when Tony had shot Michael dead, but Tony had the luxury of knowing how twisted Angela truly was before she died. Wrapped in a blanket, he threaded one arm out to wrap around her shoulders and pulled her close. "You did what you had to do, Ziva. I get it, really."

She let herself be pulled against him, resting her head on his shoulder and tucking the blanket back around him. Tony had escaped hypothermia in his rescue of McGee, but he was certainly cold. They had just settled into a comfortable position when Ducky returned from the ER.

"Duck, how is he?" Gibbs was instantly on his feet, Abby next to him, while Tony was still untangling himself from the blankets.

"Remarkably lucky." Ducky looked pleased with news. "Mild concussion, heavy bruising on his leg, a few cracked ribs, moderate hypothermia and, of course, the water in his lungs."

"That does not sound so lucky." Ziva had not seen McGee when he was brought in, hadn't seen the rushing torrents the ditches and culverts had become.

Tony shook his head, remembering the frantic rescue and clutching his Probie's limp hand through the metal bars to prevent him from being washed away. "Yeah, Ziva, it was. So, he'll be okay?"

"Yes, Anthony." Ducky smiled at their worried teammate. "They'll continue to monitor his condition here for the rest of the night. If no complications arise overnight, we may take him home in the morning. He will need to be watched carefully for several days, but I have assured his doctors that we can do that at home as well as here."

Gibbs nodded at Ducky's pronouncement. There was no doubt that 'at home' meant his house and he was already making mental plans. Abby, however, had more immediate concerns.

"Can we see him, Ducky?"

"Of course, my dear, but only for a few moments. He's quite exhausted after his ordeal."

The team filed into the warm room behind Ducky. McGee was completely wrapped in a cocoon of heated blankets, a bag of warmed fluids dripping into his arm while a mask allowed him to breath warmed oxygen. A look from Gibbs and the two ladies paused, letting Tony be the first one to Tim's bedside.

"Hey, buddy, how ya' doing?" Only the slightest fluttering of the green eyes showed that McGee was aware of his visitors, but Tony took that as a positive sign. "Yeah, I know you're tired, so you get some rest and we'll be here when you wake up."

Abby and Ziva were next, both kissing him on the cheek. Ziva backed away to give Gibbs space, while there was no doubt that Abby wasn't going anywhere. Smirking as Abby claiming her spot, Gibbs moved closer for his turn.

His eyes searched the battered face, taking in every bruise and scrape. Of all his 'kids', McGee had come to him with the least training and experience, giving the older man a deep sense of pride in the agent he'd helped form. Gibbs leaned down to whisper in Tim's ear, resting his hand on the blanket covered head. "You did good, Son, rest easy. You're safe now."

It might have been his imagination, but it seemed like McGee relaxed at Gibbs' words, bringing a smile to the older man's face. He looked over his shoulder at Ducky. "You're sure we take him home in the morning?"

Ducky glanced down at his watch, remembering the short conversation he'd just had with Director Vance. "The doctors want to observe him for a few more hours at least. I'd suggest you return to the Yard to write up your statements as I'm sure Agent Fornell is waiting for them. By the time you return, we should have a better idea as to his long-term prognosis and how soon he can be released."

"But I though you said..."

Smiling at the worry in Tony's voice, Ducky rushed to reassure him. "As I said, we expect him to be ready to come home with us in the morning. The doctors are just being cautious until he is more awake and aware of his surroundings."

Gibbs laid a steadying hand on Tony's back. "Come on, let's get this done so we can concentrate on McGee."

Abby piped up from Tim's bedside. "I want to stay here, Gibbs."

Gibbs hesitated and Ducky told them the rest of what he'd heard from the Director. "The original victim was not actually Navy, Jethro. He was someone she'd dressed up in a Naval uniform. Under the circumstances, Agent Fornell and the FBI have taken over both that case and the attempt on Timothy's life, since they tie into their ongoing case. Because the only suspect in both attacks died at the scene, the rest of the case is a mere formality."

Ducky winced at his own choice of words, but Tony seemed more concerned with McGee than with Angela's death. Knowing the younger man would not appreciate an apology on the subject, he pressed on. "According to Vance, as soon as your reports are filed, the team will be taken out of the rotation until after Christmas."

"Good." Normally, Gibbs was not one to push for much holiday time, but one look at the relieved faces told him this time it was the right thing to do. "Okay, Abby, you stay here, let us know if there's any changes. The rest of us will go back to the Yard. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we'll be back."

That got Tony and Ziva moving and after a last check on the sleeping McGee, they filed out the door behind Gibbs and Ducky, leaving Abby to watch over Tim. As soon as the door closed behind them, she snuggled as close as she could, resting her head on his pillow so she could watch him breathe.

sesasesasesa

Fornell was waiting for them at the Yard. "How's the kid?" Before any of them could answer, Sacks piped up with his own comment.

"Yeah, I hear he got shaken, not stirred."

Tony was immediately in his face. "No, 'Slacks'. He got hit by a car, thrown into freezing water, dragged into an underground pipe and survived a near drowning. All because he was watching my six."

"Whoa, easy, man." Sacks stepped back, lifting his hands in an apology. "I like the kid, okay? Guess it's too soon for a movie reference?"

Forcing a calm he wasn't feeling yet, Tony scrubbed his hands over his face. "Way too soon."

Ducky had already gone downstairs to sign off on the paperwork Palmer was preparing for the transfer of the bodies, so Gibbs gave a brief recap. "Bruised, battered, got a concussion and some broken ribs. They're still getting him warmed up and his lungs dried out. He got lucky, it was close." Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered the feel of pulling McGee's limp body free. "Too damn close."

Hearing the words and seeing the effect they had on the other NCIS agents made Sacks feel even worse about his ill-timed joke. A peace offering seemed to be the best option. "Why don't I make a coffee run for everybody?"

After Sacks retreated to the coffee stand, the bullpen was quiet as the three quickly wrote up their incident reports. Succinct and to the point, Gibbs was finished first and quietly showed Fornell on a map just how far McGee had been swept away by the storm. Fornell shook his head. "That's one lucky kid you've got, Gibbs."

Seeing it in black and white was a stark reminder of how badly it could have gone that night. The location of McGee's rescue was the last opening before a twenty foot drop. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the outcome could have been very different. Even Sacks shuddered after looking at the map when he returned with coffee.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n - This is it, the last chapter. I hope everyone has enjoyed the story, i had a blast writing it and the fact that my SeSa recipient was a friend was a bonus. Thank you for all the reviews, they do make my day. BTW, to the 'guest' that was upset that this wasn't a Tony only story - the summary stated Tony and Tim as brothers and PapaGibbs. The author notes in the first chapter quite clearly stated that this was a team friendship story. If you wanted a 'Tony alone against the world and Tim is trying to kill him' story, it shouldn't have taken you three chapters to figure out this isn't it.**

**I'll be back with another completed story, _What's Eating Timothy McGee?_ my answer to _Dog Tags_. Hopefully by then I'll be settled in enough to start writing again, but I do have the flu, so no promises quite yet.**

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The cold winter sun was just barely breaking over the horizon when the last report was filed and they left for the hospital. There had been no phone call from Abby, but it was still a worried group that slipped into McGee's room. Tony was the first through the door, and stopped to stare. In all the years he'd known Abby, he'd never seen her like this. Platform boots off, hair down and her jewelry was in a pile on the table. Her legs were tucked up under her in the chair, but she'd managed to mostly ooze onto the bed with McGee. Grinning, Tony turned and whispered in Ziva's ear. "Me thinks our Mistress of the Dark is seriously flirting with Rule 12."

Ziva immediately glanced over at Gibbs, catching just a glimpse of fond amusement before he head-slapped DiNozzo. The sound woke Abby, who blinked owlishly at them before straightening up. "Hey, guys."

"How's he doing, Abs?" Ducky had gone to track down McGee's doctor, but Gibbs figured that Abby would have the latest info, too.

"His body temperature is almost up to the low side of normal and he's getting enough oxygen when he's breathing on his own." Abby smiled at the sleeping man as she brushed back his fringe. "If his next neuro check is all right, then they'll let us take him home. I promised that we'd take really good care of him."

Ducky arrived with McGee's doctor and the team stepped back to allow the final check. When McGee answered all of the questions, even the movie trivia question Tony tossed out, his release papers were signed. After the doctor left the room, Ducky sat on the edge of the bed to do his own check. "Timothy, how are you feeling, lad?"

The doctor had Tim sitting up on the bed and he shivered. "Cold."

"Yes, well, that's to be expected. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes several days before you feel naturally warm again, but it's nothing a warm bed and a hot cup of tea can't handle in the meantime."

The third set of sweats that Abby had brought were draped over the heat vent and Gibbs picked them up before returning to the bed. "Let's get you dressed so we can get out of here." He turned to Abby and Ziva, giving them a pointed look. Once the ladies were out of the room, he and Tony dressed McGee as if he were a child. The lack of any argument proved just how exhausted the younger man was. Ducky took the opportunity to examine the now deeply colored bruises on McGee's leg before retreating to find a wheelchair.

Tony had brought his own pair of gym shoes and he bent down to slip them on Tim's feet while Gibbs slid off his own jacket and put it on Tim, smiling at his reaction to the residual warmth in the jacket. Hat, scarf and gloves were next and by the time Ducky returned with the wheelchair, their patient was fully bundled.

Seeing the heavily wrapped man, Gibbs was reminded of getting Kelly into the many layers of outerwear deemed necessary for a day out in the snow and the almost immediate unwrapping he would have to do so she could make one last trip to the bathroom. Chuckling, he realized that McGee was grinning, too, and apparently at the same thing. "Don't worry, Boss. I can wait until we get home."

The blank look from Tony made them laugh even harder and Gibbs patted Tim's knee as he stood. "All right, Tim, let's get you home."

Ducky moved the wheelchair closer and Gibbs and Tony carefully steadied McGee as he made the transition. Recognizing the guilt that was creeping onto DiNozzo's face, the other two men backed off and let Tony take control of the wheelchair. Out in the hallway, the girls fell in behind them and the procession made its way out to the cars.

Arriving at Gibbs' house, they were greeted by one of the neighbors. "Hey, Jethro, the boys and I took care of everything, like you asked."

"Thanks, Mark, appreciate it."

The other man waved off the thanks. "Consider it payback for all you did when Maggie was in the hospital. There's a pot of her chili on you stove, too."

Maggie Humphrey's chili was the stuff of legends in the neighborhood and Gibbs' eyes lit up as he nodded his thanks. "Give her a hug for me."

"I will. Now it looks like you've got plenty of help with you, so I'll get out of your hair." With a casual salute, the lanky man strolled across to the house next door. If the team was curious, their questions were answered when they walked into the house. A welcoming fire warmed the living room, the furniture pushed back to give space for the mattress now dead center in front of the fireplace. The low rumble of the dryer could be heard and something spicy tickled their noses.

Abby smiled as she looked around. "Blankets in the dryer, Gibbs?"

He gave her an absent nod as he and Tony helped McGee out of the coat. "Yeah, but don't pull them out yet." Gibbs aimed McGee down the hallway and watched as Tony helped him lumber towards the bathroom. "Let's get some hot food in him first."

"You think of everything, Bossman." Abby hugged him close. "Thanks for saving him, Gibbs."

Gibbs could feel the tremors that she was trying to hide. "He saved himself, Abs. Tony and I just helped."

sesasesasesa

"I've got you, Buddy. Lean on me as much as you need." Tony wrapped an arm around Tim's waist and pulled Tim's arm up over his shoulder.

Tim nodded gratefully, but still tried to support most of his own weight. "Don't want to get too stiff."

"After that wild ride, don't think you can avoid it. Tell you what, I'll call my masseuse and have her come over. Helga will do things to your muscles you've only dreamed of." Tony waggled his eyebrows, but it was obvious his heart wasn't in it.

Pausing at the bathroom door, Tim waited until Tony looked at him. "It's not your fault, Tony."

Tony's eyes dropped to the floor. "She tried to kill you because of me."

"No, she tried to kill me because I helped stop her."

"To protect me."

Tim knew that Tony would feel that he had to earn forgiveness, no matter what Tim thought. He grinned as he planned out a way to get through to his friend. "Well, you set me up with Helga and we'll call it even – you just have to explain it to Abby."

Slipping into the bathroom, Tim didn't have to look to know what expressions were crossing his friend's face. The pleasure at the forgiveness, the flash of terror at facing Abby and the amusement at Tim pulling one over on him. By the time McGee would be finished in the bathroom, the first flickers of self-forgiveness would be showing in Tony's eyes. Tim looked back before he closed the door to see the corner of Tony's mouth twitch.

"You need any help in there?"

"Not since I was about two."

"So, last week?"

"Funny, Tony." The friends exchanged smiles and Tim closed the door, knowing that Tony would be waiting to help him back when he was done.

sesasesasesa

Dinner was quick and quiet as Tim was obviously fading. Once dinner was finished and pills were swallowed, Tony helped Tim down onto the mattress, his head close to the fireplace. Abby pulled a warm blanket out of the dryer and tucked it around him while Ziva pulled off his shoes and socks and replaced them with wool socks, also fresh out of the dryer before retreating to the laundry room to toss another blanket in to be warmed.

Tim fell asleep almost instantly, and his shivering started moments later. Ducky had warned them, but Abby still hated to see it. She immediately kicked off her boots and joined McGee on the bed, snuggling up against him.

Fingers wrapped around his mug, Gibbs watched his kids. He rarely saw Abby so still, but there was a sense of contentment around her as she burrowed her face against McGee's neck, reveling in the simple fact that he was still alive. Ziva was standing in front of the dryer, ready to snatch the next blanket out before the sound could disturb McGee's sleep, her need to do something to help almost a physical presence in the room. Tony was perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning ever closer to McGee, reacting to every sigh and snuffle as the younger man slept, oblivious to the scrutiny. Exhaustion and worry was still etched on Tony's face.

The dryer barely made a sound before Ziva had it stopped and another warm blanket in her arms. Bringing it into the living room, she draped it over the two sleeping forms before joining them on the mattress, snuggling against McGee's other side.

Tony eased his phone out of his pocket and exchanged a grin with Gibbs before snapping a few pictures of the threesome. Once he had enough photographic evidence to tease his friend with, he quietly set the phone down on the end table. There was longing on his face, a flash of jealousy that he couldn't quite hide. Gibbs thought for a moment that he was jealous of McGee, sleeping in the arms of two beautiful women, but then he realized that Tony was jealous of the girls and their natural ability to take care of McGee.

Gibbs caught his eye and jerked his head towards the nest the girls had built around McGee. Tony didn't have to be told twice and quickly toed off his shoes and joined them, tucking himself behind Ziva and reaching out to lay his hand on Tim's shoulder.

Other than to turn on the Christmas tree lights and tend the fire, Gibbs didn't move from his spot until he saw the headlights as a car pulled into the driveway. He stood and started another blanket warming in the dryer before walking to the door, arriving just as Ducky stepped onto the porch.

"Jethro, how is he?"

Gibbs moved aside to let the doctor inside. "Sleeping."

Ducky took off his hat and crept into the living room to see for himself, checking McGee's pulse and laying a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. "That's good, but don't let him sleep past the time for his pills. You are watching the time?" When Gibbs rolled his eyes, Ducky answered his own question. "Of course you are."

Returning his gaze to the tangle of limbs poking out of the blankets, Ducky smiled at the sight. "Reminds me of a group of puppies, all snuggled together so tightly that you can't tell where one ends and the next one begins. Now, is there anything I can do before I leave?"

The dryer let out a beep and Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, you can help me get another blanket on them." After Gibbs retrieved the warm blanket, Ducky helped him lift the other blankets to slide the warm one underneath them. With Ducky on one side of the mattress and Gibbs on the other, it was a quick job to work the new blanket in place without losing any of the warm air. The top blanket was removed and tossed onto the sofa. Gibbs planned on catching a few winks where he could stay close to his team.

Ducky patted Gibbs' shoulder as he prepared to leave. "Be sure to get some rest, yourself, Jethro."

"Yeah, I will." True to his word, Gibbs returned to the sofa after he'd seen Ducky out and stretched out with the blanket. He watched as Abby tucked the bedding closer to McGee without really waking up, then Tony and Ziva doing the same thing from the other side. By the time the group had re-settled, the blankets didn't quite cover Abby's back. Gibbs frowned at the possible loss of heat and tossed the last of the blankets back over them, making sure Abby was fully covered.

After finishing the last of his coffee, Gibbs stirred the embers in the fireplace and added one more log before replacing the screen. Finally content, he was ready for that sleep he'd promised Ducky.

Looking around, he considered his options. He could sleep on the sofa without a blanket, the room was pretty warm considering the weather. He could go upstairs and check the closet shelves as he was fairly convinced that one last blanket lurked somewhere up there. Or, he could join the pile on his living room floor.

He'd never live it down if Fornell were to show up, but Gibbs knew where he wanted to be. Laughing to himself, he pulled off his shoes and laid claim to the last few inches of the mattress. He was barely covered, if he relaxed at all, he would have fallen off, but Jethro Gibbs was perfectly content as he tucked the blankets around his "kids" and watched them sleep.


End file.
